Paper Hearts
by magic-is-might92
Summary: Annie sees a familiar face at Pierce's Halloween Party. Written for M/M Halloween Horror Contest.


**Disclaimer: **Unless the DVDs count, I don't own anything.

_A/N: I'm not super thrilled about how the second half of this turned out. But it's something I just needed to write or it'd never get finished._

* * *

"Are you gonna be okay?" Jeff asked, glancing over at Annie. She nodded, forcing a smile.

"I'll be fine. This party will help get my mind off of things."

They sat in silence for a few more moments, listening to the rain quietly patter on the windshield.

"I wanted to thank you for coming to the funeral yesterday. You didn't have to go," Annie said quietly.

"No problem, kiddo," Jeff smiled. She shot him a quick glance.

"You know how I feel about 'kiddo'," she said, trying hard not to smirk.

"Sorry – _ma'am_."

Annie scowled. The rain beat harder on the windshield.

"Well, we better get inside. This storm is starting to really bear down," Jeff sighed, craning his neck to see the darkening sky above them. They both zipped up their jackets and gathered their things before stepping out of the car.

"I didn't know Pierce had that many friends," Annie noted, nodding toward the dozens of cars parked nearby.

"Knowing Pierce, he probably hired them all to come."

"Jeff, that's mean," Annie sniffed. Jeff raised his eyebrows. "And maybe entirely plausible," she admitted.

They hurried to the front porch, trying to avoid getting drenched in the cold rain.

"I am a little worried at how eager Pierce was to have us over for this stupid Halloween thing," Jeff said, knocking on the front door.

"Maybe he's a huge fan of Halloween," Annie suggested.

"Please, if he showed as much enthusiasm for Halloween for the last three years as he does for _Young and Barely Legal_, he'd come up with better costumes that weren't Beastmaster or Piccard -"

"You mean Kirk, and you seem familiar with that particular video series," Annie said suspiciously.

"And how do _you _know it's a series?"

"I wasn't even aware if was a video series or if it was even a real thing," she retorted hotly, drawing herself up.

"Relax Annie, I'm joking," he said, unable to suppress a grin at her embarrassment. "Although you're the one who used to live above Dildopolis – ouch! Watch it!" he said, earning a whack on the arm from Annie. "And for the record, I'm not even sure that's a real series. Not that I'd know or even watch those kinds of films," he added quickly, avoiding her eyes.

She pursed her lips, unconvinced.

"Well, for your record, it is a real series," she said as a locked clicked and the door knob turned.

"And how do _you _know?"

"I am the girl who lived above Dildopolis," she said with a smirk.

"How could I forget, Stieg?"

The door swung open to reveal Troy and Abed wearing costumes.

"Oh man, I forgot my costume," Jeff said, feigning disappointment.

"As if you would have dressed up..." Annie mumbled.

"I don't see you wearing anything."

"I have my costume in my bag. I didn't have time to change at home before you picked me up," she said, holding a duffel bag up.

"Who are you guys supposed to be?" Jeff said to Troy and Abed, ignoring Annie's comment.

"We're going for a Western theme this year. I'm the well known villain, Angel Eyes, played by Lee Van Cleef," Abed explained, pointing at his hat and stick-on mustache. "And Troy is -"

"I want to see if Jeff can figure it out," Troy cut in, puffing out his chest proudly.

"No thanks."

Troy deflated. "You're no fun."

Annie studied him for a minute. "Blondie?" she suggested brightly. Troy beamed. "It was the hat," she added.

"I'm just going to pretend I know what you guys are talking about," Jeff said flatly.

"You've never seen 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly'?" Annie frowned.

"And you're suddenly a Western fan?" Jeff replied, eyebrows raised.

"Not Westerns as much as Clint Eastwood," Annie said, blushing slightly.

"That's my character," Troy said. "The dude is a badass," he nodded. Abed nodded in agreement.

"You're... Clint Eastwood's character?" Jeff asked slowly.

"Yeah, I'm Blondie."

"Hmm, now I know why I didn't see it before."

"Because I don't have the scruff, huh?" Troy frowned, regretfully touching his smooth face.

"Where is everyone else?" Jeff asked, peering over Troy and Abed.

"In the Great Hall with all of Pierce's _friends_. And by friends I mean a bunch of old white dudes and uptight hot girls who get mad when you try to play stick-em-up with my Nerf gun." Troy held up a bulky and brightly colored Nerf pistol. "They didn't have anything more subtle and Western-y," he added.

"Where's the bathroom? I need to change," Annie asked.

"Over there." Abed pointed to a door off in a corner.

"I'll wait out here for you," Jeff said as Annie headed toward the bathroom. "I can try to pass off my lack of costume as something related to yours."

"Aww, you're so thoughtful," she joked, rolling her eyes.

-x-

She emerged fifteen minutes later, eyes wet with tears.

"Way to take your time," Jeff said, pocketing his phone as she stepped out of the bathroom, wearing her costume. Jeff noticed her tear stricken face "Hey, what's wrong?" She shook her head.

"Nothing, it's stupid. I'm fine. Do you like my costume?" She feigned a smile and indicated to her outfit. Her hair was hastily braided in a long single braid that fell down her back. She wore olive green cargo pants with brown combat boots, and a thin black windbreaker. A bow with a small bag of arrows was slung over her back.

"The Girl on Fire," Jeff chuckled.

"You saw 'The Hunger Games'?" Annie asked, surprised.

"The movie? Please Annie, I've also read the books," he laughed. "What do you take me for? Some kind of pop culture savage?"

"Coming from the guy who hasn't seen 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly'... Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Point taken. And you forgot the most important part of the costume. Where's the pin?"

"I went with my own pin." Annie pulled aside part of the jacket to reveal a small pastel pink cloth heart. Her eyes began to burn as she fought back tears. Jeff looked confused.

"My bubbe used to cut out these little hearts from paper or cloth and give them to me. She'd have one ready for me every time I saw her..." she explained quietly, wiping her eyes on her jacket. "She loved Halloween. It was her favorite holiday. We used to try and tell the scariest stories and outdo each other. Hers were always the best and the bloodiest. She gave this one to me last year on my birthday." She smiled to herself, gingerly touching the cloth heart.

"I never would have thought," Jeff grinned.

"That I got my penchant for gory stories from my grandma?"

Jeff nodded.

"My mom hated it. 'These stories are not fit for little girls'. She used to scold my bubbe for it. But she didn't care."

"There you guys are," a voice said from behind them. They turned around to find Britta, Shirley, and Troy.

"What the hell are you supposed to be?" Jeff asked Britta, who was also wearing cargo pants and a black windbreaker. She opened her mouth to speak, revealing fake vampire teeth.

"I'm that girl from the Hunger Games!"

"Britta, _I_ came as Katniss... I told you like a week ago so we wouldn't get the same costume," Annie's said, disappointed.

"No, I'm Bella... Like from the movie with the werewolves and vampires?" Britta's face fell slightly as Jeff shook his head, suppressing laughter.

"It's okay Brit-ta," Shirley said soothingly. "You can't get any worse than Pierce's highly insensitive getup of a classic TV icon," she added with a scowl.

"I'm afraid to ask," Jeff said slowly.

"Jeffrey, my boy, I didn't know you were here," Pierce's voice cut in. "I see you came as a gay douchebag."

"Speaking of that – oh my god, Pierce, you cannot be serious," Jeff winced upon seeing what Pierce was wearing. "And just when I thought you couldn't get any more offensive."

"What?" Pierce said innocently. He was sporting a brightly colored sweater and khaki pants. His face was covered with some kind of black paint. On his head was what Jeff suspected to be a wig that was supposed to resemble an afro. "I'm Bill Cosby!"

"Pierce, you're wearing blackface," Annie said, shocked.

"Black _what_? And what's wrong with what I'm wearing? At least I didn't come as some kind of lesbo Amazon woman," he nodded toward Shirley, who looked taken aback.

"_Excuse me?_"

"It looks like you're ready for snu-snu," Troy chuckled, eying Shirley, who was wearing a long blonde wig with braids incorporated into the sides, ragged tan tank top, long torn up brown skirt, and dark knee high leather boots, giving her the air of a wild barbarian.

"Yeah, what are you supposed to be?" Jeff asked. Shirley looked hurt, but drew herself up.

"I'll have you know that I am actually Daenerys Stormborn, the blood of old Valyr -"

"Lesbo," Pierce yawned. Shirley clenched her jaw and stormed off, shaking her head. Everyone shot Pierce a dirty look.

"What?" Pierce looked genuinely baffled.

"I need a drink," Jeff sighed, heading off toward the Great Hall.

-x-

To Annie's surprise, the Great Hall was packed with people. Fake cobwebs and statues of frightening yet exaggerated cartoonish monsters lined the walls. The room was dimmed significantly and a layer of flowing fog covered the floor, presumably caused by some combination of dry ice and water. A DJ, dressed in mask and full spandex suit made to resemble a skeleton, wrote down requests while Stevie Wonder's _Superstition _played throughout the room. Gray-haired men milled around the Great Hall, many of them accompanied by a younger woman who clung to their arms, wearing cliché costumes.

"So, what do you think?" Pierce said, waving his hand.

"Wow, Pierce. I'm... impressed," Annie said truthfully.

"I heard about your grandmother," Pierce said after a few moments, lowering his voice. Annie's heart sank a little, reminded again of the painful past few days. "I remember you telling me a long time ago that Halloween was kind of you and your boobie's -"

"Bubbe."

"Yeah, boobie. It was this weird bonding thing you guys did together, so I threw together this Hallowee -" Annie cut him off, mid-sentence, as she threw her arms around him. Pierce staggered back, surprised.

"Thanks, Pierce," Annie mumbled. He patted her tenderly on the back.

"Don't worry about. Now go enjoy yourself."

She wandered over to a table, covered with dishes of foods and bowls of different brightly colored drinks. Various bottles of rum, vodka, gins, and other spirits sat at the end of the table. She spun around to find Jeff, knowing that he'd be impressed with Pierce's collection of alcohols. Her stomach lurched when she saw him already talking to one of several women who came dressed as slutty kittens. A twinge of irritation shot through her as she watched him laughing and joking with the tall scantily dressed brunette. He caught her eye and winked at her. She swallowed hard and returned a half-hearted smile.

She subconsciously fiddled with the heart pin on her jacket, filled with a weird mix of emotions. She didn't know what to feel. Anger? Sadness? Pain? She knew it was from the culmination of the events from the past few days. Getting the phone call from her mother, who stiffly informed her of her bubbe's death. She could still hear her mother's emotionless voice bluntly tell her about her grandmother's slow death. How she finally succumbed to pancreatic cancer. Annie felt her heart drop in her chest when her mother told her this. Annie didn't even know about her cancer. Hot tears pricked her eyes as a flood of emotion overwhelmed her. She squeezed her eyes shut, and took a deep breath, trying to relax herself.

"You okay, Annie?" Troy asked, now standing at her side. Annie nodded and quickly composed herself.

"I'm fine." She cleared her throat and wiped her eyes quickly on her jacket. She felt her face burn red in embarrassment. She could tell that Troy didn't buy it. He had an uncanny ability to sense when something was wrong, despite his outward childish and innocent disposition.

"I'm sorry about your grandma," Troy said, frowning. "Both my nanas are still alive. My mean old nana who whooped Britta will probably outlive me, as mean as she is. But my other nana, she's getting old but I bet she could whoop me too if she wanted to. One time my brother snuck into her room and – you know what, I know this isn't helping," Troy stopped himself before going off on a tangent. "What I mean to say is that I'm here for you if you need special drink or a puppet show – we could resurrect Horsebot 3000 for you. I know Abed says that would be jumping the shark, whatever that means, but I'd make him do it for you if it'd make you feel better." Annie felt her eyes water again at his words and the sincere look of caring etched into Troy's face. She couldn't find the words to thank him. She could only nod. Troy understood.

"You should try this," he said, indicting toward a large ornate glass bowl filled with some fruity orange concoction, complete with diced pineapples, strawberries, and oranges. Troy ladled a large amount of the bright orange liquid into a cup. "I think it's Hawaiian Punch. "Which is weird because I don't see any kids here," Troy said, looking around the room. Annie took the glass. The smell of vodka combined other spirits smacked her in the face when she brought the cup to her lips.

"I don't think this is juice, Troy," Annie said. Troy looked disappointed.

"I'm the designated driver tonight so I can't drink. Maybe Pierce has some soda or juice in his fridge." Troy left to find something non-alcoholic to drink. She stood there, feeling alone. She glanced over at Jeff again, who was still talking to the brunette. Annie noticed a few other women eying him. She swallowed hard and dipped her glass deep into the bowl of the orange alcoholic concoction. She drank the entire glass quickly. The bite of vodka lingered in her mouth for a few minutes. Her head began to spin slightly. She dipped her glass into the bowl again, thankful for the distraction.

-x-

"Whoa, slow down there, tiger," Jeff said to Annie, who filled her glass again.

"But I really like the fruit pieces," Annie said loudly. "It's like I don't even have to eat food or anything since it's already in the drink." She took a huge gulp from her cup, sloshing some of it slightly down her windbreaker. "It tastes like fruit punch!"

"I bet it does. I think you've had enough though," Jeff laughed, noticing Annie's bright red cheeks. "This is a great song, isn't it?" Annie proclaimed, ignoring Jeff's comment as she gestured toward the overhead speakers, from which Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams was playing.

_Sweet dreams are made of this. Who am I to disagree? I travel the world and the seven seas. Everybody's looking for something._

Annie felt something like hot breath on her neck. She glanced over her shoulder, her heart nearly stopping upon seeing a familiar yet impossible face.

_Some of them want to use you. Some of them want to get used by you. Some of them want to abuse you. Some of them want to be abused._

She closed her eyes, and opened them, only to find her grandmother, standing in the far corner of the room, wearing a stained hospital gown, staring at her. This was impossible. She watched her get buried just yesterday.

_ Sweet dreams are made of this. Who am I to disagree? I travel the world and the seven seas. Everybody's looking for something._

"Annie, are you okay?" Jeff asked, touching her arm. Annie snapped out of her reverie.

"Do you see her?" Annie demanded. She turned back around. Her grandmother was gone. Jeff looked alarmed.

"Who? Annie, who do you see?"

"Nothing, nevermind, it's this punch -" she lied before pushing herself away from Jeff. "I just need some fresh air."

"But it's storming outside!" he called after her as she pushed through the crowd.

_Hold your head up, movin' on, keep your head up, movin' on. Hold your head up, movin' on, keep your head up, movin' on..._

Her head was swimming, but she pushed through the haze, determined to see her grandmother again. _I'm hallucinating_, she tried to reason with herself.

_ Sweet dreams are made of this. Who am I to disagree? I travel the world and the seven seas. Everybody's looking for something._

Half-formed and incoherent drunken thoughts swirled in her mind.

_ Some of them want to use you. Some of them want to get used by you. Some of them want to abuse you. Some of them want to be abused..._

She pushed herself through groups of people, toward where she saw her bubbe's face. She wasn't there. She headed out of the Great Hall into the hallway where she could have gone. Nothing. Her stomach began to churn unpleasantly. She began to feel hot and feverish. Some force, perhaps the thought of seeing her face again, kept her going as she walked, almost purposefully, throughout a darkened hallway. She didn't know where she was going. She found herself staring at a dark wooden door. She turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

She stumbled inside and fumbled with the light switch on the wall. She was standing inside a dim small library. Bookcases lined the walls. Small plush chairs sat in the corners. A noticeable layer of dust coated everything. A damp and musty smell filled her nostrils. The smell awakened her, clearing her mind of the drunken haze.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and goosebumps covered her arms as a gust of cold air brushed against her face. She felt cold and clammy, when only minutes ago she felt feverish.

_'My little princess,' _a soft voice said behind her. She spun around to find her grandmother, pale and ethereal, standing before her. She was smiling. She looked younger than Annie had ever remembered her. She looked happy. Annie was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to ask her for forgiveness, to apologize for not being there in her final moments, for not knowing about the cancer... Before she could say anything, her bubbe placed her hand on Annie's arm, silencing her. She couldn't feel anything but a warm sensation on her arm. But without saying a word, Annie knew. She silently said goodbye. Her grandmother smiled knowingly. And it felt like a weight was lifted off of her shoulders. A few moments later she faded away. Annie felt tears running down her face, but she didn't feel sad. She felt happy. And relieved.

She stood there for a few seconds, unsure of how to process what happened. _It had to be the alcohol_, she started to reason with herself. She immediately stopped herself. No, she didn't want to analyze this. She didn't want to ruin this moment with forced thoughts of rationality.

"Annie?" The door swung open, to reveal Jeff standing in the doorway. "Where the hell have you been? You can't just wander off like that," he said angrily.

"I'm fine," Annie said. And for the first time in awhile, she meant it.

"What is this?" Jeff asked, looking around the room. "I didn't take Pierce for a bibliophile" Jeff noticed the layer of dust and cobwebs. "Well, I guess not," he amended. "Wow, you look sloshed," Jeff told Annie.

"Can we go home?" Annie asked. She felt tired, drained.

"C'mon, I'll drive you." Jeff led Annie into the hallway. "Don't worry, I've only had juice," he added quickly. "Pierce had a kiddie cooler," he explained. Annie chuckled to herself, thinking of Troy. "What?"

"Nothing," Annie said sleepily.

-x-

"You need me to walk you in?"

"No, I can make it in," she replied as Jeff fumbled with the key and unlocked the door.

"Did you want to talk about what happened tonight?" Jeff asked quietly, as he opened the door. Annie didn't speak for a few moments. She shook her head.

"I just needed a personal moment to myself," she merely answered before heading inside. Jeff nodded.

"I understand."

"Good night, Jeff. And... thanks," she gave him a quick hug.

"Get some rest. I'll pick you up tomorrow for breakfast. If you're not too hungover," he chuckled.

"Lunch sounds better," she grinned.

"I figured. Good night, Annie." He gave her one last smile before closing the door.

Annie went into her room, ready to lay back onto her bed and fall into a dreamless sleep. She quickly kicked off her boots and decided to not even bother with her costume. All she wanted to do was sleep. Before she could, something on her bed caught her eye. A small paper orange heart lay on her pillow. All she could do was smile.

-x-


End file.
